Getting Bigger Everyday

Caden is 8 weeks now, and is growing every day! Every time I have to put a piece of clothing in the "newborn bin" that will go in storage, I get a little sad that he is already about 2 months old! But at the same time, we are loving what new things each week brings---smiles, a lot of movement and more smiles! At his 6 week appointment, he was 11 lbs 9 oz and 23.5 inches long. He's a tall boy--95% in height and 60% in weight. He is outgrowing his little pajamas quickly these days because he is so tall. Even though they might be baggy on him, his little legs get all squished if we don't move up a size! We are loving seeing what each new day brings, and seeing how expressive he is becoming.


Caden's little hands are always by his face--I mean, always. Often he will fold them like this, so had to get a picture. (Yes, our son is very spiritual and is always praying apparently). :)

So last week was my first week back at work. It's going ok. I, of course, am missing Caden, but feel blessed that we have family and friends that are watching him, so I know he is in good hands. It has been an interesting transition for me, going back to work where I was used to being in everything, knowing all that is going on and working 50+ hours, to working 30 hours, and only having to work in the office 2 days (the rest is from home or on weekends during church services). It certainly is making me be more efficient and work on my time management! But I have to say, its great. Its a blessing that God has allowed me to stay in ministry and continue to work at the level I was before. Before I went part time, they never had a part time director and it was kind of the unspoken rule that directors were always full time. But for me, they made the exception and created a job for me so I could stay at the same pay/responsibility level. And I am back doing "creative" things, which is so much more fun for me than what I was doing before. All that to say, its a new thing but a good thing, and I am so thankful that I get to spend most of my week at home with Caden.

This week Caden and I branched out and attended our first Gymboree class. Our friends Kelly and Campbell invited us (Campbell is about a month older than Caden, and Kelly goes to Mariners), and it was mostly fun (I say mostly because...well, see below). Caden was the youngest one there, so he is still a bit young to appreciate all that was going on. But he liked the singing, the colorful parachute we put above the babies, and actually didn't scream at me like he does at home when we did tummy time.
I had an interesting interaction with a mom there (that is the "mostly" part I was refering to above). Let's just say I've officially been entered into the world of judgy moms. She was apparently a little appalled that A) I had left my 8 week old multiple times with family babysitters already and B) that I was already back to work. (Yes, in the first 5 minutes of class I was forced to share this information with the group.) She made her feelings on these 2 things very evident to me by asking follow up questions like "Why would you go back to work so soon?" and I politely said, "Well, we couldn't afford for me to take more time then that. My work only gives 6 weeks paid disability because we are a non profit; I dont get the full 12 weeks like some do." She replied, "Oh that is so sad; I just don't know what I would do if I didn't have the full 12 weeks". Riiiight. Thanks lady. Like its not hard enough for me to leave my baby anyways.
I want to give the benefit of the doubt that she wasn't judging or meaning to come off so, but it just reminded me that I am officially in the world of "moms" where there are tons of opinions and ways of doing things. I didn't expect it to bother me so much, but once I got home, I was able to reflect that every mom and situation is different, and whats right for our family is our choice and who cares what everyone else thinks. Its a hard thing to remember in the moment, but I know that this is the first of many things that will come up like this. I feel like it applies to so many things as a mom--everything from what stroller to buy to when/if to start preschool. Anyone else struggle with this? Oh the many joys of motherhood... :)

Finally, here are a couple pics from a little photo shoot a friend did for us. We are still getting the rest, but here are a few favs.

This of course is Jon's favorite--had to get a football in there!
I hope everyone is doing well and I will try to be more regular about posting pics of Caden since he is changing so much! I leave you with this video of Caden's precious smile. But he does make you work for it sometimes (hence my annoying high pitched voice as I talk to him.) I call this video "Happy to Ticked in 2.1 seconds". You will see why.

R.I.P. UCLA

UCLA has always been Jon's "team" for sports--especially football and basketball. He almost attended UCLA for college (good thing he didn't or we might have never met), so I think in his mind he is an honorary alumni. All that to say, those of you sports fans know they were doing really well in the NCAA basketball tournament, making it to the final four. Jon, Caden and I have been having fun watching all the games together; having an excuse to make or get yummy food and root on the team. But unfortunately, they lost on Saturday, so its over for them. RIP UCLA.

(Just so you know, this blog entry is just an excuse to post these cute pics---my UCLA boys.)

Jon is explaining who all the players are--and it actually looks like Caden was listening!

Easter and Daddy Time

Here is a picture of Caden's first easter! (He has a bunny on his shirt in case you can't see, because he always has his hands near his face, so it was hard to get a picture of the whole outfit. ) Jon and I made it to church on Easter Sunday for the first time since we've had Caden, which was so fun especially since it was Easter. We saw a few people and got to show him off a bit, but steered clear of trying to see tons of people (aka the kids building) because we thought it would be a bit overwhelming and germy for the little guy. :) But we sat through the service in the cafe and Caden did so good, barely making a sound but wide awake most of the time.
Later that evening, we went to my Aunt's house and had a yummy Easter dinner. The only bad news is, the next day Caden was SUPER fussy/gassy (which I can luckily say is not like him) and we think its because I had a bunch of chocolate at Easter. So now we think I have to cut out chocolate. I am NOT excited about this at all. But after Monday, I can honestly say I do NOT want another day like that, so am willing to give it a try.
On Friday night, I had my first night out without Caden and went to my friend's Stacie's bridal shower. Jon babysat and they both did great. Here is a pic of the boys. (Ps--Caden officially takes a bottle really well at only 3 weeks old which is SUCH a relief since I will have to pump and have him on a bottle when I go back to work . WHEW! It also means I can have some nights out with the girls! YAY!)
And finally, one more pic that I love of Jon and Caden. I took it today in the middle of Caden's "photo shoot" today (our friend who took some pics of Caden for his birth annoucement). Look at how Caden is looking at his daddy; so cute! I think I am in trouble: This kid is a daddy's boy!

I'm Not a Fan of Oklahoma

The reason for my Blog title is simple: Oklahoma stole my sister. Ok, ok, so technically she agreed to move there with her family, but still, I blame the state as a whole. Kristi, Kaleb and Hannah came to visit for the week since it was their spring break, and to spend time with Kaleb and Hannah's new little cousin! It was so fun to be able to see Kristi so much within a few weeks since she was just out here for Caden's birth, and even more fun to see the kids meet their new little cousin! I think she held Caden more than I did this week so she could get in all her "auntie" time. It was so sweet to see the two of them bond, and it made it even harder to say goodbye when they left. Kristi was our official first "baby sitter", since she watched Caden for a few hours while Jon and I snuck out to go out on a little dinner date. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, and it was so fun to get out of the house just the two of us! I know Kristi would babysit Caden weekly if she could, hence why I am NOT a fan of Oklahoma. It stole my sister and my babysitter.
Here are some pics from their visit!

My family threw me another little shower, and it was so fun to have Kristi at one of my showers! Here is my grandma, mom, sis, Caden and I!

Hannah was singing to Caden here--it was so precious!

I had to put this pic up cuz it's hilarious. Caden makes the funniest faces all the time, so here is just a sample of one. :-)

Growing Already!

I can't believe Caden is almost 2 weeks old. On the one hand, it feels like he's been here for a month since time seems to feel a lot slower when you are on less sleep! But at the same time, he still feels so brand new. He is growing so quickly already; we had our first doctors appointment on Tuesday, and our doctor told us we have an "A plus baby". He has already gained over a pound (he is now 8 lbs 8 oz.) and has grown to 21.5 inches (he was 20 inches when he was born). As my doctor told me, I must be feeding him "Hagen Daz milk". (I think she meant it as a compliment even though it makes me feel even more like a cow than I already do since I feel like I am breast feeding 24 hours a day). He is 95 percentile in height, and 75 percentile in weight, which means he is a tall little boy (not shocking when you look at my side of the family). He is sleeping pretty darn good for a newborn--last night I got about 5 hours of sleep in a row from 11pm-4am! It was amazing! I am quickly learning not to bank on this as a solidified routine, since it changes daily. But I am celebrating it for now!
Here are a few pictures of him since he is changing more every day!

Going to his first doctors appointment

Taking his first sponge bath

My sister, nephew and niece flew in from Oklahoma yesterday to spend the week here. I am excited to get to spend time with all of them this week! My sister has been so great about spending time with Caden (when she was here last week for his birth too) and helping out in so many ways with him. She actually baby sat him today when Jon and I took our first "outing together" in a while. We had to run a few errands and grabbed lunch--so romantic, I know. :) It was so nice to be able to get out, but felt the tension of having to get back since we haven't introduced a bottle to Caden yet. We plan on doing that in about a week, and then we will get to have a real date! We've had many offers for babysitters, so we plan on taking people up on those offers soon!

Caden Jacob Epperson

He is here! Here are some quick pictures! I promise I will be back soon with more of a "blog", but wanted to get some pics up asap!

About to head to the hospital

Smiling in between contractions...

B coming to visit!

My first time meeting Caden

One of his first pictures

Our family!

His going home outfit (his pants were a tad big, but hey, they were a part of the outfit!)

Taking him home!


He was sleeping like this---I think he was trying to tell me to stop taking so many pictures of him!


So there is Caden! I hope all of you get to meet and see him in person soon! That's all for now!

Last Real Night of Sleep

I thought I should post real quick before I head off to bed, just to commemorate my last real night of sleep for what will probably be a long while. There is no way I will get a good night's sleep on Sunday night since I have to wake up at 5 am and because I will be so excited and anxious about Monday; and then all the nights after that? Well...its just down hill from there. :) But I think it's a pretty good trade off. I will take Caden over sleep any day. (see if I say that in a couple weeks, right? just kidding!)
Ok, off to bed! Next time I post, it will probably be with lots of pics of our new little guy! Its about time, right?! :-)

Before...and AFTER

Ok so here are the pictures of our "Baby Room Makeover". When we bought our condo a year and a half ago, we always knew the extra room would be for a baby someday so we didn't want to bother doing anything with it until it was time for that. Therefore, as most extra rooms do, it became a "junk room". Lots of random boxes, storage for who knows what, and stuff everywhere. We just closed the door every time people came over (except for Kristen, who was kind enough to sleep in there when she came to visit. She graciously let us refer to it as "her room" even in the hideous condition it was in. Don't worry Kris, I'm sure baby will let you still sleep in there when you come!!)
Just to give a little background, the room was previously lived in by 2 elementary age boys, had huge wall units attached to the walls therefore leaving behind some MAJOR wall damage, and (though these pictures don't do it justice) was painted with a nauseating periwinkle. It even had some nasty glow in the dark stars on the walls in random places. So all that to say, we had quite a project ahead of us:

And here it is now!

So there it is! All organized and ready for him to come! Now if he'd only realize that his room is MUCH more comfortable to live in, and just COME already.... :-)

Time to Catch Up

I can't believe its already been almost a month since I last blogged. Time has definitely flown by which is a good thing considering baby is almost here and I am so ready for him to be! Besides feeling bigger each day, I am ready to meet this little man that we've anticipated for so long. It's so weird not knowing when he will come--all this anticipation for an unknown time and moment. But I can say I am really enjoying my time off not working, getting things ready for the baby. February 4th was my last day of work, and ever since I have somehow kept myself pretty busy. Some people were warning me that taking some time off work before the baby could make it feel longer, since you aren't as distracted. I am thankful to say it doesn't feel like that to me! Yes, I am anxious for him to come but I am LOVING not working, spending time at home, working on projects I hadn't had time for before. Plus, my ever growing body slows me down these days so its nice to be able to kick my feet up and nap when I feel like it. I keep teasing Jon that I could get used to this! :) I am eating it all up though, since I know I won't be spoiled like this much longer!

Well, like I said, its been a busy month, and lots of fun stuff has been happening! Jon's Aunt Sue threw me and baby a shower on January 26th. It was so sweet to be surrounded by family and friends--it was a mix of my family, Jon's family, and friends of Jon's mom and my mom. Sue's home is so beautiful and I had to admit, I had a real sentimental moment when I was there for the shower thinking that it seemed like just yesterday Jon proposed to me there in the backyard, then soon after had a wedding shower there, and now here I was for our baby shower! Its amazing how time flies....Well, anyways, all the details and decorations were beautiful and we are again well stocked with baby things thanks to people's generosity! Here are a couple pics from that shower: Isn't that cake the cutest? It was really yummy too!

Baby's Mom, Grandmas and Great-Grandmas!

Ok I had to put this picture in because its one of my favorite gifts---so funny! My friend Jennie gave baby a cute little "wee man" set that came with a bib that looks like a superhero outfit, a burp cloth that looks like a cape, and this little item I am holding up. What is it you ask? When lets just say it will protect mommy from any foreign substances that might squirt me in the face while changing his diaper. Just cover the area and you won't have to duck! Don't worry--its washable!

A week later, my "friends" shower was on Friday February 1st. If you haven't already read on Kristen's blog (you can click on it from mine), it involved one of the greatest surprises of all time. Kristen certainly got me as she flew down and surprised me to be at the shower thrown by her and Bethany. I was SO suprised, and was so touched at all the planning and secrecy involved to make it all happen! Even better, Kristen got to stay with me for the 2 nights after, so we got to spend some much needed time together!
Kristen did a great job of capturing all the details of the surprise, so you need to read it from her perspective. All in all, it was a cozy night followed by a wonderful day that I was able to spend with Kristen and B catching up, just hanging out. It was so fun to be able to see Kristen while I'm still pregnant, as its been so hard to be so far away during all that has been happening. But like usual, it was like not a minute had passed as we enjoyed the weekend that quickly flew by. The good news is, she will be here again soon to see the baby and Carrie's baby in April. So it was a little easier to say goodbye knowing she will be back soon!

Here are some more pics from the shower. It was a shower with just my girl friends, and it was so much fun. Kris was kind enough to let me steal some pictures from her since the shock of the evening apparently made me forget to take pics of my own! I'm not exaggerating on the shock portion---I think I was in shock the whole night!

Bethany, the other hostess and Kristen's partner in crime in planning the surprise!
Kristen and the preggers girls! Carrie is due a couple weeks after me, and Jen is due in May. They both are waiting to find out what they are having---I can't wait until they are all born and our babies can play!
Opening presents...isn't that the cutest bucket? My friend Cathlene made it with ribbon, adorable paper and it even has Caden's name on it! She had it stuffed full of fun baby stuff too! So cute--I told her she officially needs to start a side business. I have the bucket on our dresser/changing table full of diapers--its so cute!

Well, thats all for now. Time to go work on another project! The room is almost done and I will post pics of that soon! My mom came over the other day and she finished sewing the cushion covers to the glider, which is one of the finishing touches to the room! It was SO sweet of her to sew those herself, as it saved us lots of money and the fabric looks great! She also helped me go through the stuff I have and see what else baby needs! Thank goodness for moms! I don't know what I'd do without her!
I will also blog again soon and post some pregnancy pictures Jon and I took this past weekend. We are waiting for the final pics, and they turned out awesome! A friend of Jon's family took them for us--he does photography as his ministry and wouldn't let us pay! It was so generous of him! And they turned out great! I will let you see them soon...

Baby's First Shower

Friday night was my first baby shower and it was so much fun! 4 of my friends from Mariners threw it for me, and every last detail was so personal and beautiful. They had my favorite flowers, candies and the baby's colors everywhere in all the decor. About 35 friends and coworkers came and I felt so blessed and honored that they all came to celebrate our little one. Here are a "smattering" (as my best friend Kristen would say) of pictures from the evening:

The hosts: (From left) Cristi, Trisha, Michelle and Jodi

The pregnant girls! Remember how I've said I have a lot of pregnant friends? Here are just some of them! (From Left) Kelly (due the first week February), Debbi (due in May), Me, and Tristina (due February 12th).

The hosts hard at work---the food was so yummy!
One of many adorable, pint sized presents! (Ps--I just found out Quiksilver started making infant sized clothes starting at 3 months instead of 12 months! This is a 3-6 month tshirt that came with cute little shorts too! Baby will get to dress just like his daddy!)

Well, we are down to about 2 weeks left of work before I go on maternity leave. I can't believe how fast all this is going! I guess that's good since everyone says your last month drags on as you anticipate the baby's arrival any day. I am taking about 3 weeks off before my due date ( my work covers 4 weeks of disability maternity leave before the baby is born, and if you don't use it before the baby comes, you can't use it after. So it kind of inspired me to for sure take some extra time since I'm sure I won't feel much like working!) I am planning on "fading out" (as I've been calling it) sometime in that week of February 3rd. I've been able to transition a lot of things at work over to other people already, so I feel good that I can walk away and not look back and focus on the things to come!
Ok, I'm off to try to put our new Bob Jogger Stroller together. (Everyone at work pitched in and bought this for us---so generous!) Its a good thing I love putting things together because it looks like a challenge!